American Psycho – Uncut Version (Blu-ray)
Picture:
B+ Sound: B Extras: C+ Film: C+
Christian
Bale continues to be one of the rising stars of the moment, firmly established
as Batman and so good in films like The
Prestige and Harsh Times, he took
on the role of the demented Patrick Bateman in Mary Harron’s problematic
adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ American
Psycho in 2000. The book had already
been cancelled in a disturbing act of de facto corporate censorship that made
the publishing world cringe.
The film
was also handled by a smaller release company and became an early success for
Lionsgate. Never out of print since its
DVD debut, we have covered the film twice before in the older format in two
very different points of view. One an
unfavorable review:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/633/American+Psycho+(Basic+Uncut)
The other
an enthusiastic recommendation:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/2370/American+Psycho+-+Killer's+Collector's+Edition+(Uncut)
Now with
the Blu-ray, a third look, though this is the HD version of the latter edition. I am still of the opinion that the film never
lived up to the book and if it were not for Bale, this would be very
forgotten. Except for some dark 1980s
jokes derived from the book’s approach, Harron and co-writer Guinevere Turner
(who also acts in the film) missed the boat by being too forgiving of the 1980s
while being too smug about their own work.
Some things about the book cannot be translated to the screen, but the
sea of banal consumerism could have been if Harron had made it more than a footnote.
At one
point, Leonardo DiCaprio was offered the role with record bucks attached, but
at that time was wise to turn it down coming off the more commercial Titanic. Helping the film hold up are appearances by
Jared Leto, Willem Dafoe, Chloë Sevigny, Josh Lucas and a then more daring
Reese Witherspoon. The big statement and
payoff never happen in the film in making the 1980s madness and Bateman’s dark
parallels, but when it is not being smug in those rare moments, you can see the
great film that could have been.
The 1080p
2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image just edges out the recent DVD-Video and
though it is not perfect, the Super 35mm shoot by Director Of Photography
Andrzej Sekula tries very hard to emulate Stanley Kubrick films like A Clockwork Orange and 2001: A Space Odyssey without any
narrative point of inner-textual reference (psychosis to smug and obvious as
the only point) giving us clearer shots by default that we might otherwise
have. A newer, cleaner print would have
helped make this really amazing, but it is still pretty good.
The DTS
HD 96/24 6.1 ES matrixed mix is better than the Dolby Digital 5.1 EX here, with
much desired DTS mixed long overdue. A
digital sound release to begin with, this is not always a great mix and is dialogue
based, but it has some moments with character and the DTS is finally an
enjoyable option showing what we have been missing in all the DVD
editions. John Cale’s score has its
moments.
Extras
include most from the DVD version including deleted scenes with Harron commentary,
feature length audio commentary with Harron & Turner and featurette The '80s: Downtown. Being a 25GB release, they likely did not
have all the room they needed for all extras, but it will make most fans happy
and assures that American Psycho
will be a popular back catalog Blu-ray for a long time.
- Nicholas Sheffo
